Grain-door.



O. J. MILLER.

GRAIN DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1a, 1913.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO..WASHINGTON, D. c.

O. J. MILLER.

GRAIN DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1913.

ATTO R N EY Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES coLuMBlAA LANoaRAr-H c UNITED s'rarns Parnnr ornion.

CRIN J". MILLER, OF HURDSFIELD, NORTH DAKOTA, ASSIGNOR, OF ONE-HALF TO IRWIN HUMES, OF CUTLER, INDIANA.

GRAIN-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

Application filed March 13, 1913. Serial No. 754,106.

- box cars, and adapted to enable the same to be employed for hauling various kinds of material in bulk, such as grain, coal, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide a car door of this character com; posed of upper and lower hinged sections, capable of swinging independently of each other to enable either section to be opened or closed to facilitate loading and unloading the car, and equipped with a plurality of fastening devices capable of drawing the sections in tight engagement with the sides of the car and of forming a perfectly tight closure.

It is also the object of the invention to provide a grain car door of this character capable of sliding vertically tothe top of the car and of being swung upwardly against the latter in a compact folded condition so as to be out of the way.

Furthermore, the invention has for its objcct to provide simple and eflicienthoisting means for enabling the grain door to be easily and convenientlyraised and swung to its elevated position at the top or roof of the car.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure l is a front ele vation of a grain door, constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a car, the door being closed. Fig. 2 1s a perspective view of the same, showing the interior of the car. Fig. 3 is a perspectlve view, the door being folded against the top or roof of the car. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view, the upper section of the door being swung downwardly and outwardly. Fig. 6 is a similar view, the lower section of-the door being swung upwardly and outwardly. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a portion of one side of the door and the adjacent portion of the car, illustrating the construction of the guide rails. Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 99 of Fig. 1. Figs. 10 and 11 are detail views, illustrating the construction of the locking devices for drawing the door into tight engagement with the side of the car.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the grain car door, which may be constructed of any suitable material, either wood or metal, or a combination of both, is composed of upper and lower sections 1 and 2, connected at their adjacent edges by hinges 3, adapted to permit an independent swinging of either of the sections to facilitate loading and unloadingthe car. The upper section is adapted to be swung downwardly and outwardly to a position in front of the lower section, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and the lower section is capable of being swung outwardly and upwardly to a position in front of the upper section, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. By this operation, the other section may be let open to facilitate filling the car and when closed it may be opened to aflord greater access to the material in unloading the car, and the lower section may be opened when it is desired to discharge the material from the car at the bottom of the door opening 4.

The hinges 3, which may be of any preferred construction, are composed of hinge elements secured to the outer faces of the upper and lower sections of the grain door and provided at their adjacent ends with the eyes or openings at the inner ends of the links 6 and extending across the door openmg 41 and having hooked terminals 8, which shdably engage guide rails 9, secured to the car at opposite sides of the door opening and extending downwardly from the top of the car and terminating short of the bottom thereof, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The horizontal rod 7 slidably connects the door with the guide rails and enables the door to slide upwardly and dowmvardly to elevate it from the position illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings to that shown in Fig. 3. The adjacent ends of the hinge elements and the adjacent edges of the upper and lower sections of the door are recessed to receive the links 6, and the upper section 1 of the door is provided at its inner face with metallic strips or plates 10, secured to the said upper section and projecting below the lower edge thereof and overlapping the upper portion of the lower section to provide a tight joint between the upper and lower sections and prevent leakage and loss of the grain or other contents of the car. In the accompanying drawings, the sections of the door are shown constructed of wood, and they are reinforced at their inner faces by metallic cleats or bars 11, which may be of any desired number.

Each of the guide rails 9 is constructed of suitable material, preferably angle bars composed of two wings or flanges arranged at right angles, as clearly shown in Fig. 7. One of the webs or flanges of the guide rails is arranged at right angles to the plane of the side of the car and 1's fitted against the door post 12. The other web or flange forms a guiding web or portion and receives the adjacent hooked terminal 8 of thehorizontal rod 7. The terminal portions of the guiding flange or portion of each guide rail is provided with extensions, and the lower extension is bent to form a longitudinally projecting stop lug 13 and an approximately L-shaped arm or attaching portion 1 1, which is fitted against and suitably secured to the adjacent side or door post 12. The upper extension of the guiding flange or portion is also bent to form an inwardly. projecting stop lug 15 and an approximately L-shaped arm 16, which is fitted against one of the carlines of the top or roof ofthe car and the adjacent side of the car, andis suitably se cured to the same. The horizontal rod 7 is slidable upwardly and downwardly on the guide rails and is limited in its upward and downward movement by the projecting stop lugs. The lower lug receives and supports the ends of the rod 7 when the latter is at the limit of its downward movement, and the terminal portions of the said rod 7 abut against the upper stop lugs when the door is elevated for arranging it out of the way at the top or roof of the car.

The grain door may be raised and lowered by anysuitable means, but it is preferable to employ a Windlass 17 for sliding the door upward to elevate the same, and another Windlass 18 for swinging the door inwardly and upwardly after the horizontal rod has been raised to the limit of its upward movement by the Windlass 17. The

Windlass 17 is equipped with a suitable flexible connection 19 which is guided by a pulley or sheave 20 and one of the sheaves of a double pulley block 21, and it depends from a single pulley block 22 at a point between the guide rails. The other Windlass 18 has a flexible connection 23 guided by a sheave or pulley 24 and by the other sheave or pul ley ofthe double pulley block 21, and also by a sheave or pulley 25 located in substantially the same transverse plane as a single pulley block 26 from which the. flexible conmotion 23 depends. The pulley block 26 is located a suflicient distance from the side of the car to enable the folded sections of the car door to be swung upwardly against the top or roof, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The wi'ndlasses may be of any desired construction, and each preferably consists of a shaft mounted in a suitable bearing bracket and provided with flanges forming a spool or drum and equipped with a ratchet wheel 27, which is adapted to be engaged by a pivoted gravitypawl 28 forlocking the shaft of the Windlass against retrograde rotation. The bearing brackets of the windlasses are preferably mounted on one of the door posts at the side face thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and each Windlass shaft has a squared terminal 29, adapted to re ceive a crank handle 30, which may be transferred from one Windlass to the other, the crank handle being connected with the side post or other portion of the car by a short chain 31 to prevent it from becoming lost. The double pulley block 21 is preferably hung from the approximately L-shaped arm 16 of the top of the adjacent guide rail, and the guide pulleys or sheaves 22, 25 and 26 are arranged adjacent to the central transverse plane of the door opening, being preferably mounted on the adjacent carline, as indicated in Fig. 2, but they may, of course, be arranged in any other suitable manner.

The hoisting mechanism enables the grain car door to be easily and conveniently raised and lowered to arrange it out of the way and to lower it into position for use. When it is desired to arrange the door at the top of the car, the upper sect-ion is swung downwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and its free edge is secured to the lower free edge of the bottom section by a hook 32, carried by the upper section 1 and arranged to engage an eye 33 of the lower section 2. The hook 32 and the eye 33 are also adapted to secure the lower section to the upper section when the said lower section is swung upwardly to a position in front of the upper section, as illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The flexible connection 19, which is provided at its outer or free end with a ring 34, is engaged with a hook 35 of the lower section of the door, and the Windlass 17 is then operated to elevate the folded door to the upper ends of the guide rails. As soon as the door reaches such position, the other flexible connection 23, which is provided at its free end with a ring 35 is passed around the free edges of the sections of the door and is engaged with a. hook 36 of the upper section, and the Windlass 18 is then operated to swing the folded grain car door upwardly and inwardly on the horizontal rod 7 to carry the said door to the position shown in Fig. 3. The pawls and ratchets of the .windlass shafts retain the grain car door in such position until it is desired to again use it.

In order to carry the folded car door inwardly beyond the door opening when elevating it out of the way, the guide rails are provided with inwardly ofl'set upper portions 37 inclined upwardly and inwardly and extended vertically adjacent to the upper stop lugs 15, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 2 and t of the drawings. These in cliued upper portions of the guide rails cause the door to move inwardly from the side or door post when the door is elevated by the hoisting mechanism.

The car is equipped at opposite sides of the door opening with fixed vertical bars or members 38, preferably constructed of angle iron or other suitable material and composed of two webs or flanges, arranged at right angles to each other. One of the webs or flanges of each vertical member 38 is fitted against and secured to the lower vertical portion of the adjacent guide rail, and the other web or flange projects from the guide rail and is adapted to receive the side edges or portions of the upper and lower sections of the car door. The projecting webs or flanges of the bars or members 38 form abutments for the sections of the car door, and they are cut away at the upper portions of the said bars or members 38'and are split at their upper terminals and bent to form inclined guiding lips 39, which are adapted to guide the door sections to a position exteriorly of the fixed vertical bars or flanges 38, when the car door is lowered to arrange it in position for use.

In order to draw the car door into tight engagement with the side of the car when the said door is closed, the upper and lower sections are equipped adjacent to the, upper and lower corners of the door with locking devices, each consisting of a horizontal shaft or pivot 40, piercing the car door and provided at their outer ends with resilient handles L1 and carrying cam heads 42 at their inner ends. The pivot or shaft 40, which is preferably mounted in perforations of the adjacent hinge 3 and the adjacent bar or cleat 11, is provided at the outer face of the door with a collar 43, and its terminal portion 44 is squared to fit a rectangular opening in the cam head 42 and is threaded for the reception of a nut 45, which secures the cam head on the end of the shaft or pivot. The cam head, which is provided with a' tapered periphery, is adapted to be rotated to be carried into and out of engagement with the projecting flange of the fixed vertical bar or member 38, and as the peripheral engaging portion of the cam head gradually increases in thickness it operates to draw the door into tight frictional engagement with the bar or member 38. The

resilient handle 41, which is located exteriorly of the car door, is provided with an inwardly projecting terminal 46, adapted to engage any one of an arcuate series of perforations 47 of a curved plate 48, secured to the outer face of the car door and adapted to cooperate with the handle of the shaft or pivot in loekingthe cam head in its engaging position. The resilient handle enables its terminal portion to be readily sprung into and out of the perforations of the curved plate 48.

The locking devices are located at opposite sides of the upper and lower portions of the door, and the adjacent hinged edges of the sections are drawn into tight engagement with the fixed vertical bars or members 38 by wedges 49, interposed between the horizontal rod 7 and the fixed vertical bars or members 38. Any other suitable means, however, may be employed for this purpose, and the wedges are connected by short chains 50 with the side post 12. The wedges are located adjacent to the guide rails, and the rod 7 is provided at its end portions with collars 51, located contiguous to the eyes of the adjacent hinges and adapted to hold the rod '7 against longitudinal movement, whereby binding of the car door and the hook-shaped terminal portions from such cause is prevented.

hat is claimed is 1. The combination with a car having a door opening and provided at opposite sides with guides, of a door composed of upper and lower sections hinged together at their adjacent edges and capable of independent swinging movement, a rod extending across the door opening and having its terminal portions slidably connected with the guides, and means for pivotally mounting the adj acent hinged edges of the sections of the door on the said rod and for permitting either of the sections to swing outwardly through the door opening to a position exteriorly of the other section.

2. The combination with a car having a door opening and provided at opposite sides thereof with guides, of a door composed of upper and lower sections hinged together at their adjacent edges and capable of independent swinging movement, a rod extending across the door opening and having its terminal portions slidably connected with the guides, and links extending inwardly from the door and pivotally connected with the rod and with the hinged edges of the sections of the door and arranged to permit either of the sections to swing outwardly through the door opening to a position exteriorly of the other section.

3. The combination with a car having a door opening and provided at opposite sides thereof with guides, of a door composed of upper and lower sections, hinges connecting the adjacent edges of the sections of the door and having pintles located at the outer faces of the said sections and permitting independent swinging movement of the sections in either direction, a rod extending across the door opening and having its terminals slidahly connected with the said guides, and links pivotally mounted on the said rod and provided with eyes receiving the pintles of the hinges and arranged to permit either of the door sections to swing outwardly through the door opening to a position exterior-1y of the other section.

4. The combination with a car having a door opening, of guide rails located at opposite sides of the door opening and having projecting guiding flanges arranged in spaced relation with the sides of the car and extending away from the door opening, said guide rails being also provided with inwardly oiiset upper portions extending upwardly and inwardly from the sides of the car and having arms located at the upper ends of the guiderails and secured to the sides of the car, a rod having terminal portions slidably interlocked with the flanges of the guide rails, and a car door pivotally mounted on the said rod.

The combination with a car having a door opening, of guide rails located at opposite sides of the door opening and having guiding flanges arranged in spaced relation with the sides of the car and extending away from the door opening, said guiding flanges being bent inwardly to form upper and 6. The combination with a car having a a door opening, of guides located at opposite sides of the door opening, a plurality of hoisting means located, respectively, at the door opening and at a point interiorly of the car and spaced from the said door opening, a rod extending across the door open ing and slidably connected with the guides, and a door composed of foldable hinged sections carried by the said rod and provided with engaging means located at the hinged and tree edges of the door sections when the same are folded and adapted to engage with the hoisting means.

7. The combination with a car having a door opening, of guides located at opposite sides of the door opening and having guiding flanges extending away from the said door opening, other flanges projectinglaterally from the guides and extending into the door opening, a rod disposed across the door opening and having its terminal portions slidably connected with the guiding flanges, a door mounted'on the rod and fitted againstthe exterior of the laterally projecting flanges, and locking devices for drawing the door into tight engagement with the lastmentioned flanges.

8. The combination with a car having'a door opening, of guides located at opposite sides of the door opening and having guiding flanges extending away from the said door opening, other flanges projecting laterally from the guides and extending into the door opening, a rod disposed across the door opening and having its terminal poi: tions slidably connected wit-h the said guides, a door mounted on the rod and fitted against the exterior of the laterally projecting flanges, and means located at the terminal portions ofthe said rod and en'- gaging the inner faces of the laterally projecting flanges for drawing the door into tight engagement with the same.

9. The combination with a car having a door opening, of guides located at opposite sides of the door opening and provided with guiding flanges extending away from the said door opening, other flanges projecting laterally from the guides and extending into the door opening and having inclined guiding'lips at their upper, ends, a car doorfitte'd against the exterior, of the laterally projecting flanges, means for slidably and piv; otally connecting the car door with" the guides, and hoisting means for raising and lowering the car door, the said lips being adapted to automatically guide the door to a position exteriorly of the laterally projecting flanges when the door is lowered.

10. The combination with a car having a door opening, of guides located at opposite sides of the door opening and provided with guiding flanges extending away from the door opening, other flanges projecting laterally from the guides and extending into the door opening, a rod extending across the door opening and having terminal portions slidably connected with the guides, a door fitted against the exterior of the laterally projecting flanges and mounted on and carried by the rod, and wedges interposed between the terminal portions of the rod and the inner faces of the laterally projecting flanges for drawing the door inwardly against the last-mentioned flanges. 11. The combination with a car having a door opening, of guide rails located at opposite sides of the door opening and having projecting guiding flanges spaced from the side of the car and extending away from the door opening, other flanges projecting laterally from the guide rails and extending into the door opening, a rod disposed across the door opening and having terminal portions slidably interlocked with the said guiding flanges, a car door composed of upper and lower sections hinged together and fitted against the exterior of the laterally projecting flanges, means for connecting the hinged edges of door sections to the said rod to permit either door section to swing through the door opening to a position exteriorly of the other section, and means arranged at the terminal portions of the rod and engaging the inner faces of the laterally projecting flanges for drawing the door sections into tight engagement with the lastmentioned flanges.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto a'fflxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ORIN J. MILLER.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERs, EDITH L. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Paton.

\ Washington, D. 0. 

